Red Meat Increases Mortality Risk

Well...sort of.

Many of you have emailed me asking for some clarity on this new 'study' recently published called Meat Intake and Mortality.

First, this study is an observational study. Observational studies (really surveys) by their very nature can only suggest an association. They absolutely do not prove cause and effect. There are so many other confounding variables that were left unchecked you might as well use this study for your new puppy's poop.

From the study:

"The inherent limitations of measurement error in this

study are similar to those of any nutritional epidemiological
study that is based on recall of usual intake over a
given period. We attempted to reduce measurement error
by adjusting our models for reported energy intake.
15 The correlations for red meat consumption assessed
from the food frequency questionnaire compared
with two 24-hour recall diaries were 0.62 for men and
0.70 for women, as reported previously by Schatzkin et
al.7 The problem of residual confounding may still exist
and could explain the relatively small associations found
throughout this study despite the care taken to adjust for
known confounders."

Uh huh. They also suggest that vegetarians are somehow healthier than meat eaters:

"Vegetarians have lower arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic
acid levels and higher linoleate and antioxidant levels
in platelet phospholipids; such a biochemical profile
may be related to decreased atherogenesis and thrombogenesis."

But in another recent study published in March 2009, Mortality in British Vegetarians researchers found no difference in mortality between meat eaters and vegetarians. From the study:

"The mortality of both the vegetarians and the nonvegetarians
in this study is low compared with national rates.Within
the study, mortality from circulatory diseases and all causes is not
significantly different between vegetarians and meat eaters.."

Let's use a little common sense. If eating red meat was so unhealthy, how in the world did humans come to exist? We've been eating red meat for hundreds of thousands of years.

If you torture the data enough it will confess...

Eat your red meat and enjoy it. What you don't want to eat is grain fed, hormone ridden and processed meats.

Comments

[Tom Corbo]

Fred,
Thanks for your time. I look forward to a discussion on limited flexibility/pain with movement. I am a golfer.
Tom Corbo

[Fred Hahn]

What are you cheating on Tom? C'mon...beer? Wine? Could be too many nuts.

[Tom Corbo]

Fred,
My trainer is Joel Waldman. I think I am about 20%-22%Body fat.
I haven't had icecream, beer, pizza, french fries, etc., for a long time. I eat mostly protien and fats. Some vegies and fruits.

[Fred Hahn]

Who is the trainer? We may have spoken on this issue.

Furham, if I recall, is also low calorie. Your friend is losing fat and lean mass at the same time. This is not good in the long run.

If you are at a fat loss plateau, make sure that most of your diet is from fats. I'd need to see what you are eating. How much more fat do you have to lose? Remember a certain amount is necessary for good health.

[Tom Corbo]

Fred,
I have been a slow burn devotee and low carber for more than 2 years. Recently my trainer(recomended in your book)has gone Fuhrman -low protien and has shown remarkable fatloss. I am now confused because after tremendous success, I have been at a plateau for a long time. I don't think I'm ready to give up meat.
Eades Vs. Fuhrman. Is the answer somewhere in between?

[Joe Matasic]

Nope I haven't seen it. I'll add it to the list. Right now my time has cycled to favor catching up on my reading list, which is long. My movie list is long also. The good thing about that list is I forgot about most of the movies. The books I buy and they sit on my dresser. I'm going to have to start watching the movies in 30 minutes blocks or something.

Of course now that it is sunnier longer, I hope not to be inside as much.

[nonegiven]

Eating grain fed meat is better than eating grain.

[Fred Hahn]

A shame indeed. Irresponsible reporting for sensationalism. Sad. Bad. Stupid.

Have you seenthe movie Good Night and Good Luck? Excellent. Morrow is my hero.

[Joe Matasic]

I read this study yesterday after my wife brought it to my attention the night before. I told her not to believe. When I read it, the first thing I noticed was it was observational and then food recall on the questions. 2nd, plenty of questions about carbs in the diet but no data in the study. Why, of course everyone knows carbs are healthy. Sarcasm implied. 3rd in the conclusion but not in the results, they noted that the increase amount white meat consumption in the non-smoker group increased the risk of cancer.

Once again I'm sure that people who disregard any health advice, even the really incorrect health adivce, will have other bad habits. Processed foods, no exercise, etc. And, of course, the advice for health would be to cut out red meat and saturated fat.. What a shame.

Joe

[Fred Hahn]

Could be, could be.

And it is not that the evidence against eating meat is weak, it is entirely non-existent.

[Kab]

Well said. It's about time to start coming out with the common sense truth about eating meat as you have done -- it's not going to kill us and in fact, is good for us. As you so aptly point out, every generation before us has thrived on red meat and so will we unless we believe the hogwash about how "bad" it is for our health. The evidence is so weak against eating meat that I strongly suspect that the anti-meat movement as a health concern is really a PETA plot! Okay, maybe not formally, but I am sure they are a significant force behind keeping this myth alive.